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½ cup golden raisins, chopped

½ cup chopped fresh pineapple

½ cup chopped peeled cored apple

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon salt

2 pounds (a double recipe) fresh Chestnut Pasta or 1½ s dried egg noodles, cooked and drained

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a 13 × 9-inch baking dish.

Whisk the eggs, sugar, water, and walnut oil in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the raisins, pineapple, apple, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, and salt, then stir in the noodles.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake until the top is browned, about 1 hour. Let stand at room temperature at least 5 minutes before serving.

A Year of Lasagne

Spring Lasagna with Carrots,

Peas, and Asparagus

This lasagna is like baked pasta primavera—lots of veggies in a light tomato sauce, lemon-scented creamy cheese layers, and fresh asparagus spears on the noodles. Makes 8 servings

For the Tomato and Vegetable Sauce:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, crushed or snipped to pieces in the can with kitchen shears (3½ cups)

3½ cups mixed diced carrots and shelled peas, or one 1-pound bag frozen peas and carrots, thawed

2 tablespoons stemmed thyme

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon grated nutmeg

For the Cheese Filling:

32 ounces regular or low-fat ricotta cheese (do not use fat-free)

2 large eggs, at room temperature

½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

For the Noodles:

Six 12 × 5-inch sheets homemade fresh Spinach Pasta, 9 no-boil lasagna noodles, or 12 to 15 dried lasagna noodles

1 pound pencil-thin asparagus spears

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.

To make the tomato and vegetable sauce, heat a large saucepan over medium heat; add the butter and olive oil. When the butter has almost melted, add the onions and cook, stirring often, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until aromatic, about 15 seconds.

Pour in the tomatoes and their juice along with the peas and carrots. Stir well and bring the mixture to a simmer.

Stir in the thyme, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Simmer just to blend the flavors and boil off a lot of the liquid, about 10 minutes. You certainly don’t want sauce as thick as a ragù—more like a loose tomato sauce but beware of a watery sauce. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

To make the cheese filling, whisk the ricotta, eggs, and lemon zest in a large bowl. Do not beat—the ricotta should not turn watery.

If you’re using fresh pasta sheets: Cook them as directed on section Pasta and Noodles. It’s easiest to cook them one at a time. Do not cook them all the way—leave them a little firm since they’ll cook as the lasagna bakes. Drain the fresh pasta sheets in a colander in the sink—be careful: they’re fragile.

If you’re using dried lasagna noodles: Cook as directed on section Pasta and Noodles and drain in a colander set in the sink—but again do not cook them all the way; leave them a little crunchy so they’ll continue to soften in the casserole.

The last step before assembling the casserole is to prepare the asparagus. Trim off any beige or woody ends; shave off the outer skin to ensure that the spears will be tender after they’re baked. If your asparagus is not pencil thin, shave down the spears with a vegetable peeler.

Assemble the lasagna in a 13 × 9-inch baking pan: 1 cup tomato sauce spread across the bottom of the pan; 2 homemade pasta sheets, 3 no-boil noodles, or 4 to 5 cooked dried lasagna noodles; 1½ cups tomato sauce; half the cheese filling (use a rubber spatula to spread it evenly); half the asparagus spears (lay them tip to foot in alternating directions); 2 more homemade pasta sheets, 3 no-boil noodles, or 4 to 5 cooked drained dried lasagna noodles; 1½ cups tomato sauce; the remaining cheese filling;